Fourths to john b



(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. OOURTRIGHT.

STEAM ENGINE CONNECTION.

No. 460,319. Patented Sept. '29, 1891.

WITNESSES 17V VEW T092 I 1 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. 'OOURTBIGHT. STEAM ENGINE CONNECTION.

No. 460,319. Patented Sept. 29, 1891;

WITNESSES 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR COURTRIGHT, OF ST. IGNACE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTIIS TO JOHN B. BROOKS, EDGAR E. BROOKS, MICHAEL E. STELL- XVAGEN, CHARLES KYNOCII, JAMES CONNONS, AND THOMAS I. EVER- ETT, ALI. OF SAME PLACE.

STEAM-ENGINE CONNECTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,319, dated September 29, 1891. Application filed May 3, 1890. Serial No. 350,482. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR COURTRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Ignace, in the county of Mackinac and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engine Connections, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in duplex steam-engine attachments; and it consists in a certain construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more fully set forth, the essential features of which being pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide means for connecting the reciprocating piston-rods of a duplex engine to a single crank 011 the main shaft thereof in such manner as to impart a continuous rotary motion to said shaft and overcome the dead-centers of the crank, and to provide means for actuating the respective cut-off valves of the cylinders by a single eccentric on the main shaft of the engine. This object is attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a compound engine provided with my improved features, the side of one cylinder being broken out, showing piston therein. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the converse side of Fig. 1, the column or supporting-frame being broken away on dotted line 1 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2.

\Vhile I have shown my improved features in connection with a vertical compound engine, they maybe employed in a duplex engine of other construction.

Referring to the letters of reference, A indicates the pedestal or supporting-frame of the engine mechanism, on the upper end of which the cylinders B Bare mounted. The cylinder B is provided with a suitable piston (indicated by dotted lines A in Fig. 1) that is adapted to reciprocate therein, to which is connected one end of the piston-rod C, the opposite end of said piston-rod being secured to a sliding head D, adapted to travel on the guideway D, said head being in turn pivotally coupled to one arm of the triangular beam E by means of the link D. The cylinder B is provided with a piston B", having one end of the piston-rod C connected thereto. The other end of said rod C is secured to the sliding head M, adapted to travel on the guideway M, the head M being pivotally coupled by the link 0' to the adjacent arm of the triangular beam E, which is mounted at its lower plane on the rock-shaft F, that extends transversely across the pedestal or frame A, its ends being journaled in crossheads F, mounted in guideways F in the sides A of the frame, in which they are adapted to slide. The upper arm of the triangular beam E is provided with a bearinghead E, in which is journaled the wrist-pin G of the crank-arm G, that is keyed on the end of the main shaft H, which is journaled in the pillow-block P, mounted on the pedestal or supporting-frame, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The pistons of the respective cylinders B B move simultaneously and in the same direction during most of their stroke when-steam is applied thereto, the valves of said cylinders being so set that the piston of one cylinder is given a slight lead over the other, as shown at B and dotted lines A in Fig. 1, so that when one piston is starting on its downstroke the other will not have quite completed its upstroke, which operation imparts a reciprocating motion to the beam E and causes its outer arms to oscillate. The cross-heads F, that support the ends of the rock-shaft F, on which said beam is mounted, sliding in the guideways F in the frame and the upper arm of the beam E being coupled to the Wrist-pin G of the cranle arm G of the shaft H, a continuous rotation is thereby imparted to said shaft. The employment of the triangular reciprocating and oscillating beam E for the conversion of a reciprocating into a rotary motion conduces, in conjunction with the simultaneously-acting pistons, one of which works slightly in advance of the other, to overcome the dead-centers of the crank-arm G, for it Will now be evident that when one of the pistons is ren dered ineffective at the moment the crankarm is passing the point of dead-center between its axis and the end of the beam E, to which the rod of said piston is coupled, the arrangement of parts is such that the other piston will be exerting its greatest leverage force to carry said crank past said point, thus imparting a continuous and uniform rotation to the shaft H, obviating the use of a flywheel.

The mechanism for operating the cut-off valves of the respective cylinders is more clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and consists in a triangular beam I, similar to the beam E of the engine, the upper arm of which is provided with an eccentric-strap N, that incloses the eccentric-head H on the shaft II, said beam I at its lower planebeing pivotally mounted on the pin it of the cross-head K, adapted to slide on the vertical guide-plates L, bolted'to the side A" of the frame, the horizontally-opposite ends of said beam being coupled to the rods J J, that operate the slidevalves in the steam-chests of the respective cylinders. (Not shown, as such will be readily understood.) It will now be apparent that the throw of the eccentric-head II will cause the beam I to reciprocate and will impart an oscillating motion to the outer ends thereof, to which the cut-ofi rods J J are attached, whereby said rods are actuated to operate the slide-valves of the respective cylinders. The location of the eccentric-head H on the shaft H, respecting the position of the crank-arm G, determines the actuation of the valves of the cylinders in conformation with the required action of their respective pistons.

As will now be obvious, the above-described engine is simple of construction, compact, and durable, one that may be operated with a great saving in power and in which the pistons are given a great leverage force over the driving-crank, which crank, considering the two points of the application of the drivingpower thereto, is at no time on a dead-center.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An engine attachment comprising a frame having a slidewa'y thereon and a shaft journaled in said frame, combined with a triangular beam having an eccentric connection with the shaft,'a cross-head on said way, said cross-head having a pivotal connection with the triangular beam, and the cut-off rods attached to the oscillating ends of said beam, substantially, as specified.

2. In a steam-engine, the following combined elements: the main supporting-frame having guideways at the ends and at the sides thereof, two steam cylinders mounted on said frame, a piston and piston-rod for each cylinder, the sliding heads attached to the piston-rods, the cross-heads F, mounted on the guideways at the sides of the frame, the rockshaft journaled in said heads, the triangular beam mounted on said rock-shaft, the links coupling said beam to the sliding heads of the piston-rods, the main shaft, the crank thereon, the triangular beam being coupled to said crank, the cross-head K, mounted on the guide-plates of the frame, the triangular beam journaled on the pin of said cross-head, said beam having an eccentric coupling with the main shaft, and the cut-off rods coupled to the free ends of said beam, substantially as specified.

3. In an engine, the combination of the supportingframe, the main shaft carrylng a crank, the vertical guideways F, the crossheads mounted thereon, the rockshaft ournaled in the cross-heads, the triangular beam mounted on said rock-shaft, said beam having connection with the crank of the main shaft, the horizontal ends of said beam carrying a link, said links being coupled, also, to the sliding heads mounted on the guideways of the main frame, the cross-head II, the guide-plates supporting said head, the triangular beam journaled on said head and having the eccentric connection with the main shaft, the free horizontal ends of said beam adapted to operate the cut-off rods, substantially as set forth.

4. An engine attachment consisting of the following conjoined elements: a shaft having a crank, a triangular beam having one of its extremities journaled on said crank, the central point of its horizontal member having a sliding bearing, and a second triangular beam having one of its extremities eccentrically coupled to said shaft, the central point of its horizontal member having a sliding bearing, substantially as shown.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

EDGAR COURTRIGHT. [L. s.]

Vitnesses EDWARD TAGGART, HARRY P. VAN WAGNER. 

